My Hero
by Freckled Princess of Arendelle
Summary: After a fierce battle with a new criminal, a wounded Adrien comes home and Marinette takes care of him. (Adrienette)


_A new ML one-shot with aged-up characters. :)_

* * *

My Hero

It was a late hour in the city of Paris, with the sky dark and the iconic Eiffel Tower glowing bright in the darkness. While everyone was either preparing for bed or already asleep, Marinette was wide awake and in her bedroom.

At the moment she was dressed in her purple night robe and working on the final touches to her newest outfit – a small pair of pink socks with tiny bowties sewn on the side and a matching headband. If there was one thing Marinette loved, it was making accessories for her and Adrien's future daughter.

And the soon-to-be mother was certain that the socks and headband set would go perfect with the rose pink onesie she received on her baby shower.

Setting the socks down on her desk, Marinette sighed and looked out the window. While one arm sat on the armrest of her chair, the other went on her thirty-three week old belly. The moment she placed her palm on the outstretched skin, a tiny foot kicked at her hand and Marinette smiled.

"Don't worry sweetie, Daddy's going to come home soon." Marinette promised. She moved her hand in a comforting caress and continued to watch the window for any signs of her husband and hero.

The past few months have been hard for the couple as Marinette grew bigger and Adrien was forced to patrol and protect Paris on his own.

Even though Marinette was not fond of the idea, she knew that Ladybug had to take a break. Fighting crime and carrying a baby was not exactly a safe combo, and Marinette knew that if she continued to be Ladybug, then she would most likely endanger herself and the baby. When she became two months pregnant and began to show, a concerned Adrien insisted that she took a "maternity leave" from being a superhero.

That did not mean that Marinette had to give up Ladybug for good. As the months went by and their daughter grew inside her, Marinette still wore her earrings and Tikki was always by her side. Her kwami helped her through aches and unexpected changes when Adrien was unable to, and for that Marinette was eternally grateful. Having a baby grow inside her was both an exciting and scary time in her life.

And Marinette was grateful that at least Adrien did not but away his ring. For the past six months the young model had protected Paris all on his own. He no longer had to fight with Hawkmoth and akumatized villains, yet there were other criminals to deal with and other problems to solve. And to add to that job, Adrien still worked at his father's company and took care of his exhausted wife.

He was the husband any woman would ask for. And the husband Marinette wanted home at the moment as she sat by the window.

Nonetheless, Paris needed him tonight yet again.

Anxious, Marinette turned to Adrien's laptop on the bed and wondered if there was any fresh news regarding the current criminal known as the Phantom. Perhaps Chat Noir had already defeated him and he was being interviewed by Nadja Chammack.

Marinette thought about that and frowned. But then what about his ring? He would've surely transformed back into his regular human form by now. It has been three hours since Adrien transformed and left her. Three hours since he just came home after a full day of photo shoots, a commercial rehearsal, and a two-hour meeting with his father's industry.

Marinette noted how exhausted Adrien was when he came through the door, and she only prayed that Chat Noir would not have to do anything tonight. Unfortunately, that was not the case. For the moment he was called, Adrien gave her a kiss, transformed, and left through the bedroom window. Marinette tried to encourage him to stay home yet her stubborn husband told her that he would be fine.

A light buzz brought Marinette back to reality. She looked up and saw Tikki quickly hover to her. The clever kwami could easily see fear on her friend's face and she quickly hugged Marinette's cheek.

"Don't worry Marinette. Adrien's probably on his way right now." Tikki admitted gently.

Marinette smiled and hugged Tikki close to her. "Sorry Tikki, I'm just so worried. Adrien's never been gone for this long whenever he had to go save the day. I wish I knew what's keeping him."

"Let's open the window and let some fresh air in. It'll do you good." the little red kwami suggested and flew up to the window. She grabbed the latch and began to tug at it with all her might.

Marinette let out a small laugh. "Here let me help!"

With some difficulty, the young woman lifted herself up from her chair and helped Tikki open the window. The moment the calm night breeze blew into the bedroom, Marinette sat back down and clasped her hands on her belly. Her eyes fell on Adrien's cellphone at the edge of the desk. Leaning over, Marinette picked up the device and held it out in front of her.

She pressed the POWER button and her lips curved into a smile as she looked down at the lock screen. It was the most recent photo of her and Adrien. They both sat on the bench with Marinette holding out her phone to take the picture while Adrien embraced her with his chin on her shoulder and his hands clasped over her belly. A smiling Marinette wore a newly bought, white summer dress with no sleeves and baby blue flats. Her hair fell down and her bangs were pushed back with a daisy headband. Adrien looked ever so handsome in his white dress shirt, undone tie, and black dress pants from work.

Marinette loved moments like these, when she and Adrien were not superheroes and busy models and fashion designers, but a young couple in love and anticipating the arrival of their child.

"Marinette! I think I hear someone!" Tikki cried out in a suddenly high voice.

The kwami's cry startled Marinette and caused her to drop her phone. The young mother looked up and sure enough she heard the front door of the apartment close.

"Adrien?" Marinette stammered. She stole a quick glance around the bedroom in hopes of finding some sort of weapon in case it wasn't her husband.

"I'll go see if it's him!" Tikki said and flew out the bedroom with the speed of a hummingbird.

Marinette felt her heart pound in sudden uncertainty. She gripped the chair's arms and hoisted herself up just as Tikki's voice echoed from the hallway. The door opened and Marinette let out a startled cry as Adrien leaned against the doorway.

Her husband was still Chat Noir, yet when Marinette looked down at his finger, she noticed that the last pad of his paw was flashing and she realized that he was about to transform back. When Marinette rolled her eyes up she gasped and her hands came up to her lips in sudden horror.

"Oh my God!" she breathed.

Her hero was badly bruised and bleeding. There were a few tears in his suit that revealed pale, bleeding skin and a particular nasty bleeding gash on his left bicep. A large, darkening bruise was on the right side of his lips along with a thin trickle of blood than ran down his chin. When Adrien lifted his gaze to her, Marinette noticed that his eyes were halfway shut and she suddenly wondered if one of them was bruised underneath his mask. With a pained moan, Chat Noir fell against the door and onto the ground. A flash of green lit the room as the black suit disappeared and was replaced with Adrien's bloody dress shirt and pants. Plagg appeared from the ring and fell on the floor beside his master. He looked just as beaten and exhausted.

"Adrien!" Marinette cried and moved to her husband's side with Tikki.

She knelt on the floor and placed a hand on Adrien's cheek. To her relief, neither one of his eyes were bruised. She gently touched the scar on his cheek and let out a large sigh when she realized that it was not bleeding and it looked like a small scrape.

Marinette quickly turned to Tikki. "You take Plagg and I'll take Adrien!" she said.

Tikki flew over to Plagg to help him up while Marinette turned back to Adrien.

Her lips trembled as Marinette brushed a lock of blonde hair from his forehead. "Adrien? Adrien can you hear me?"

Adrien's eyes slowly opened at the sound of her trembling voice. He looked up and his hand came up to grip hers. "M-Marinette?"

"We have to get you up and to the bed. Can you walk?" Marinette asked.

"I-I'll try, " Adrien whispered and gripped her hand against his chest. With Marinette's help, he slowly sat up with a few struggling breathes. The moment the young man moved his left arm, he let out a pained cry and looked down at his injury.

Marinette chewed on her bottom lip as she helped Adrien up from the floor. With his good arm draped over her shoulders and her arm around his waist, Marinette moved Adrien across the room and to the bed. She carefully lowered her husband down on the soft mattress and began to unbutton his dress shirt. She touched his heaving chest and probed her fingers along his ribs.

"Does it hurt when I touch?" she whispered.

"N-no!" Adrien stammered and opened his eyes. "My chest feels fine. It's my arm that's hurting like hell. A-and I think I sprained my right ankle when I fell off the balcony."

With a hard swallow, Marinette could only shake her head as she gently slipped Adrien's shirt off his shoulders. She made sure to be gentle when she moved to his left arm. Once his shirt was off, Marinette helped Adrien lay down on the bed. As he stretched his legs out, Adrien closed his eyes and winced. Moving to his legs, Marinette took off his shoes and socks and examined his ankle. When she touched it, Adrien let out a small hiss and his head fell back on his pillow. Marinette quickly grabbed one of the pillows and tucked it underneath his foot.

"We're going to need some ice for your lips. And we need to go to the doctor so he can look at your foot. Why didn't you go to the hospital? They would've treated you." Marinette insisted.

Adrien let out a small sigh. "I didn't want to leave you alone for another minute."

Marinette looked up just in time to see Tikki hover to her.

"Plagg's okay, he's very exhausted but not hurt. What can I get for Adrien?" Tikki asked.

"I'll go get the first-aid kit myself. Do you think you can get Adrien an ice pack for his foot and lip?"

"Sure!" Tikki nodded and flew away.

"Thank you." Marinette forced on a light smile as she watched her kwami fly out of the room.

Turning back to Adrien, Marinette reached out and took his hand into hers. She brought it to her lips and kissed his knuckles. "I'll be right back with the first-aid-kit. Everything's going to be okay. You'll feel better in no time my love."

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After shuffling to the bathroom and grabbing the first-aid kit and a glass of water, Marinette moved back to the bedroom and opened the small white case. Tikki fetched two small bags of ice and set them down on the table before she moved back to Plagg with a small hunk of camembert.

"Here drink some water." Marinette said and titled the glass to Adrien's lips.

He took a few sips before he dropped his head down on the pillows. "Marinette I…"

"Shh it's okay, we'll talk about the Phantom later. He's not our concern right now." Marinette said in a soft voice. She set the glass down on the nightstand and moved to grab the needle and thread to stitch up the gash on Adrien's left arm.

With her other hand, she grabbed both ice bags and pressed one into his hand. "Here, put this on your lip." She then leaned over and placed the second bag on his foot to lessen the swelling.

Adrien did as he was told and pressed the ice bag on the corner of his lips. The ice felt cold and uncomfortable, yet Adrien told himself that it was nothing from what he went through earlier. He suddenly remembered his fierce battle with the Phantom and he turned to Marinette with a half excited/half pained smile.

"I…I caught him! I caught the Phantom and took him down Marinette! He won't be bothering us anymore." Adrien stammered.

Marinette looked up and her lips formed into a relieved grin at the news. Her free hand came up to grip his tightly and she felt tears prick her eyes as she looked down at his face.

"Oh Adrien that's amazing! It must've been a tough fight. I only wished I was there to have your back."

Adrien's smile remained on his face as Marinette gently cleaned his wounds. He winced a few times from the stinging pain yet his hand remained inside Marinette's the whole time. He has glad that he was able to make Marinette smile, yet deep down inside, he still felt terrible for leaving her so worried.

As Marinette stitched the wound together, Adrien's hand slipped from hers and moved to caress her belly. "How's our little princess?"

"She was getting just as restless as her mother." Marinette said with a light laugh. She looked down and placed her hand on top of Adrien's. "We're both so glad you're back and alive. Just feel her move."

Adrien closed his eyes and his smile grew when he felt a tiny foot press into his palm. The movement made his heart flutter in sudden joy. "Marinette…"

"Shhh," Marinette placed a hand on his lips with a smile. She turned and began to wipe the remaining blood from his arm. "We'll talk more later. You need to rest. Just lie back and close your eyes."

Adrien let out a soft sigh and closed his eyes. Marinette watched as his breathing steadied and a deep slumber take over his body. As he drifted to sleep, Marinette closed her eyes and let the few tears slip down her cheeks.

She had almost lost all hope that Adrien was going to return yet here he was, laying bruised yet alive. Marinette did not know what would've happened if she had lost Adrien. He was her hero, her true love, and the father to the beautiful life that was inside her.

With a small sniff, Marinette tended to the few minor cuts on his arms and then looked at his bruised lip. Adrien remained deeply asleep and his hand held her belly as Marinette cleaned up and put everything back in the kit. When she turned to Tikki, a smile appeared on Marinette's face as she watched her kwami sleep close to Plagg and their soft snores filled the air.

Standing up from the edge of the bed, Marinette pulled the blanket up and covered Adrien to his chest. Her hand found his and she gave his knuckles a soft kiss.

"I love you Adrien." she whispered. Her other hand reached for the lamp on the nightstand and she flickered it off.

* * *

A few hours later, Marinette's eyes fluttered open as her hand moved on the bare spot on the bed. She blinked a few times and then lifted her head from her pillow.

After she put away the first-aid-kit, Marinette brought a few painkillers and put them on a plate beside Adrien's glass of water. She then took off her night robe and laid down on her side under the covers. To her surprise, it did not take long for Marinette to fall asleep. The moment her head touched the pillow, she closed her eyes and sleep took over.

Now though, when Marinette reached out to touch Adrien's face, her fingers did not feel his soft skin, but the empty air and bare spot on the bed. Startled, Marinette turned her head and noticed a dark figure seated on her desk chair. His back was turned to her and his head was titled up to the night sky.

"Adrien?"

At the sound of her voice, Adrien turned around to her and Marinette noticed the fresh, white bandage wrapped around his left arm. He was still shirtless and dressed in his black pants. Concerned, Adrien moved off the chair and limped back over to the bed. He winced at every step he took from his sprained ankle.

"What's wrong?" Marinette asked. She tried to sit up but found it to be somewhat of a struggle with her belly and half-asleep state.

Adrien returned to her side and lifted the covers. He slipped into the bed beside the worried girl and wrapped his good arm around her gently. "I'm sorry, I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep."

"Why? Because of the Phantom?" Marinette whispered and traced a finger along his thin-pressed lips.

Adrien chewed on his bottom lip and Marinette noted the sudden regret in his bright green eyes. "I'm so sorry baby. I shouldn't have I left you and Princess like I did. I forgot how worried you get when I'm gone for too long."

"Don't apologize! You took down the Phantom. We don't have to deal with him anymore." Marinette insisted with a shake of her head.

"I know, but I still feel horrible that I got you so scared. When I saw your face when I came in…you don't know how bad I felt inside. I was tired from the day and even thought about turning the Phantom down but…but then I thought what kind of a hero would I be if I stayed here and let that bastard terrorize everyone?" Adrien asked.

"You wouldn't be so bruised and beaten that's true. But if you hadn't left then the Phantom would still be roaming around Paris. Because of you Paris is safe. I'm safe…" Marinette took Adrien's and brought it to her belly. "And so is our daughter."

Adrien gently brushed his thumb along the swell and a small weak smile formed on his face. He did not know what he would do if anyone dared to hurt Marinette and their baby.

"I'll always be your hero Marinette." he vowed.

Marinette smiled warmly and leaned close to him. She gave Adrien a passionate kiss on his lips and then pecked a small, gentle kiss on the bruised side.

"Our daughter is lucky to have you as her father and hero." she whispered and cradled his face in her hands.

"And I'm so lucky to have you as my wife Marinette. Even though you stepped down as Ladybug, you're still a hero to me and Princess. I love you my lady, and I vow to protect you and our daughter until the moment I breathe my last breath." Adrien confessed and looked down at her beautiful face.

Her eyes gleamed as Marinette reached out and brought his lips to hers. "And I swear that I'll protect and love you until the moment I breathe my last breath, my brave hero and husband."

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 _I also have two more ML stories published here titled "The New Dress" and "Roommates" Check them out if you like. :)_

 _Bug out for now!_


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